Nights of Neglect Will Soon Be Over
by Rocklandgirl
Summary: This story begins the unfolding of the back 6 episodes for Will and Emma's reunion.  And it won't be a reunion in the sense of the same old relationship they used to have.  It's going to be new and better than ever, but here's where it begins.
1. Chapter 1

**Nights of Neglect Will Soon Be Over – Chapter 1**

In the weeks since that disastrous "Afternoon Delight" performance Emma spent most of each day with her stomach in a knot, wishing that the earth would open and swallow her up. As if the embarrassment of that day wasn't enough, standing onstage in the auditorium with all of those eyes on her as she desperately tried to explain her Celibacy Club song choice … it only got worse after that. Carl had asked Holly for a "couple's session" – for advice about their sex life. Their non-existent sex life. Why she had agreed to go and expose the intimate details of her life to this woman she didn't like or trust or have anything in common with was beyond her … but it was Carl's idea and she owed him that much.

What Emma didn't count on was Holly cutting directly to the heart of the matter by asking about Will. More specifically, about Emma's feelings for Will. Emma's unresolved, still churning, still warm, still real …feelings for Will. And for some reason, for some inexplicable reason, Emma didn't deny it. No, she didn't say "yes I still love Will" … but she didn't say "no". That would have been an out and out lie. Carl looked stunned and sick and sad when he got up to go to the Radisson, but Emma didn't pursue him. In fact, as badly as she felt about hurting him, at that moment she felt so overwhelmed by what was unfolding she couldn't move from her chair.

Holly assured her that she wouldn't say anything to Will … _"My lips are sealed … just like your legs …"_ Emma was not amused, but the last thing she needed right now was the added confusion of having Will know what was going on.

And what WAS going on? Emma didn't know. All she did know was that the days and nights were starting to blend together. For two days after Carl moved to the Radisson Emma tried to call him, wanting to explain. She left long, faltering voice mails asking him to call back or at least text to let her know he was okay. Three days later Emma picked up her iPhone to find an email from Carl, short and to the point.

He was sorry for the delay in getting back to her, but it had been a long, tough week and he hadn't been ready to talk to her. Sitting down in her desk chair Emma read the rest of the message:

_I'm still here at the Radisson but leaving for a few days for business. I'm interviewing with that practice I told you about in Connecticut. I will call you when I get back. In the meantime, I've spoken with my lawyer about drawing up annulment papers … for obvious reasons. It will be quick and fairly painless. Take care of yourself._

_Carl_

Annulment. No talk, no mutual decision, done. _"Annulment papers … for obvious reasons" _the phrase ran through her mind over and over. Obvious reasons, like never having sex … like never being ready to be intimate with her handsome husband … like never even getting close to letting him touch you unless you imagined it was a different man. Imagining it was Will. But even then, his touch was different and you couldn't continue. It was nice enough, and god knows he is good-looking, but he's not Will and without letting herself admit it, that would always stop her from getting truly close to any other man.

Even so, Emma couldn't believe this was happening. All of the air released from Emma's lungs. She felt slightly dizzy, a bit nauseous. In fact, for a minute or two she put her head down to make the faint feeling go away. She kept breathing slowly … in through the nose out through the mouth. At least she had learned something during her short time in therapy last year with Dr. Shane, how to prevent a full-on panic attack.

In a few minutes she felt better, like she could sit up straight and actually make it to her car. Thank goodness the day was over. Emma forced herself to pay close attention to the road on her way home. She felt like she was in some altered universe as she pulled into the parking lot of the condo, made her way into the building and slid the key into the lock.

Emma walked in, kicking off her shoes and tossing her Kate Spade coat across the railing in the foyer. From there to her bedroom in anything but a typical fashion Emma started to disrobe, letting her cardigan, then her blouse and finally her skirt fall on the floor as she walked. Finally in the bathroom the shower water hit her skin, warm and steamy. Emma leaned against the wall and let herself get lost in her thoughts with nothing else but the enveloping moisture and heat.

In those minutes in the shower Emma came to a realization. _She knew that this was it._ No matter what the future held for her … no matter if she spent the rest of her life a lonely virgin … this was it. Time to take responsibility for what was happening. It wasn't Holly … god how she _wanted_ to blame Holly for pressing the issue of Will in front of Carl … but it wasn't about her. And it wasn't Carl either. Yes, he was threatened by Will for most of their relationship. And why not? During their first date Emma spent the entire evening talking about the glee club and their handsome director … _"the cutest teacher at McKinley"_ she'd called him … not much of a way to show interest in a new man. But over time and through Carl's charm and persistence, Emma's focus on Will faded. They got closer, it was fun and some sense of freedom was coming over Emma. But with the freedom also came just the opposite. She began to feel that in showing her ways to be free of certain OCD behaviors, Carl had actually begun, perhaps unknowingly, to manipulate her. By suggesting a spur of the moment trip to Vegas that weekend in November, Carl had made the quickie wedding seem like as much fun as the spontaneous _"sheer madness"_ of mixing green and red grapes in the same bowl.

But Emma couldn't blame him. She could have stopped it and she didn't. She wanted to believe that it would be a good thing, marrying a handsome, successful man who was crazy about her. It was supposed to be uncomplicated. But looking back now Emma knew that lying to herself and running away from reality was far from uncomplicated.

And then something happened. A moment of absolute clarity brought on by one of the most shocking, titillating, frightening, exciting, unbelievable moments of Emma's life. It came at exactly 1:35pm on a Thursday afternoon last month. Before she met Holly. Before Sex Ed. Before "Afternoon Delight". And now she understood that it was her moment of truth which came in the form of a special announcement from Sue Sylvester broadcast over the PA system to the entire school. _The entire school_. It was Will's drunk dial message. Just hearing his voice utter the words, _"Hey sexy lady …"_ took her breath away. Who? When? Why? Surely this wasn't' really Will calling Sue of all people. But it all became clear as Will continued …_"I love how you eat your lunch with your little plastic gloves and they crinkle and make the cutest sound I've ever heard in my life."_ Emma couldn't believe her ears that day. Surely this was a dream … or a nightmare … no, a dream. A good dream. A really nice, good dream. She felt it deep in her heart, butterflies in her tummy … pressure through her pelvis for god's sake. This was really happening. And while she knew that her first response should have been embarrassment, she felt oddly exhilarated. Other words and phrases came and went … _"wine coolers", "let's get crazy", "roll in the hay", "I rode a bull and thought of you …"_

Yes, that's when she first knew that Will still had some kind of hold on her. But instead of admitting it Emma spent the coming weeks keeping things light with Will … making sure never to be alone with him. When possible, she totally avoided him. She needed distraction. And then the opportunity to become the faculty advisor to the Celibacy Club provided the perfect solution to put the brakes on her pent up feelings of desire and frustration. Yes, Emma decided, helping young girls hold onto their virginity well into adulthood would become her new cause. And what better shining example than Emma herself.

But now she knew that the old adage really is true … you can run, but you cannot hide. Without meaning to, Holly Holliday had provided her with a lesson that would prove to be more profound than all of the Sex Ed classes in the world.

So, as she turned off the shower and stepped out to dry herself off, she wiped the condensation from the mirror, Emma looked at herself through the steam. Staring into her own eyes she spoke aloud to herself, speaking the truth for the first time in a long time.

"_Emma Pillsbury, you're not confused. You're in love. You're in love with Will and you can deny it forever to the rest of the world, but you'll always know it's true."_

The following week at work started out as a busy one. Emma was grateful for that. It definitely helped her focus and kept her daydreams at a relative minimum. She decided that it would be premature to remove her wedding ring or change her nameplate. She hadn't yet heard from Carl again and she certainly didn't want to invite any questions from her colleagues. Not Figgins. God knows not Sue. And certainly not Will. She had no clue about how to handle that, but for now it didn't matter.

By midweek Carl returned to Lima and called Emma. They spoke briefly, Carl making it clear that there was nothing to discuss, that he had hoped it would work, but it didn't and that he was indeed moving to Stamford, Connecticut to join the practice of an old friend from dental school. Emma didn't try to force him to listen to her regrets or apologies, but she did sit at her desk throughout the call fighting back tears. With the understanding that Carl would be in touch again when the annulment papers were ready to be signed, they bid each other a quiet _"goodbye"._

In that moment, hanging up the phone, Emma was again reminded of how much she hated working in an office with glass walls. She wanted to be alone and unseen, invisible to the outside world. She wanted to shake and sob and let go completely, but she couldn't … especially now as classes were ending for the day. So she dabbed her eyes and nose with a tissue and resolved to save the tears for her next steamy shower. Regaining some composure, Emma looked up to see Shannon's body filling the outline of her door frame. She had a kind smile on her face. Emma really liked Shannon. She recognized her sweetness and while she felt like being alone right now, if she had to talk to a co-worker, Emma felt safe with Shannon.

Motioning her in, Shannon opened the door. _"Hey Emma, long time no see!"_ Emma hesitated then began rambling to fill the conversation with something, anything that wouldn't involve talking about her sad sorry life_. "Uh, well, I've been busy finishing up a bunch of transcripts for some of the juniors applying for early acceptance … which of course means a lot of checking and double checking grade point averages and making sure they go out on time, because of course all of the colleges and universities have different deadlines and I have to help these kids keep it all straight because it's new to them and some of them are applying for scholarships …"_ She'd gone from rambling to fast-talking, gaining so much momentum Shannon couldn't keep up.

"_OK, OK Emma,"_ Shannon interrupted and chuckled good-heartedly. _"No need to describe every second of your day … just haven't seen you in the teacher's lounge lately. I miss my lunch buddies. You with your paperwork, Will with yoga class … I've been lonely."_

Emma stopped, almost stunned at the sound of his name being spoken by Shannon. _"Will? Yoga? What's that about?"_ Emma's curiosity was piqued.

Shannon went on to explain that Will has been going to yoga classes 3 days a week at lunch time … with Holly. Holly Holliday. How could that be happening? Now she was really distracted, but Shannon continued. _"Anyway, the reason I stopped by was to see if I could interest you and your handsome husband in a couple of tickets to a fundraiser this Friday for New Directions trip to Nationals. They're really struggling … as you know! Despite all their successes, Sue keeps pilfering their budget. In the off season I told Figgins I'd help out with some of the other school organizations. Anyway, tickets are $15 a piece or $25 per couple. Can we count on you and Carl? I know it's kind of last minute."_

Emma's immediate reaction to almost any social invitation was _"no"_ … but she figured she could at least pay for a ticket. Even if she didn't go, the glee club needed her support. Reaching for her bag, she pulled out a ten and a five and handed it to Shannon.

"_Only one ticket? What do dentists have against show choir?" _

Emma, still sick over the yoga at lunch news, pretended to laugh, _"It will just be me. Carl's away for a dentist's meeting. You know … a meeting with other dentists."_ She was ill at ease, and it showed.

"_Well, I hope you'll come. There's going to be a special guest appearance!"_

"_Who?"_

Shannon answered, being somewhat comical. Not to hurt Emma, of course. She liked Emma. She thought she was odd, but Shannon liked odd. She simply had no idea that while her pal Will had been pining away for Emma, the embers were still smoldering in return. _"Holly is performing! She really has a decent set of pipes and evidently the guy she's been seein' got her to agree to sing a song or two."_

Emma was now paying full attention to what Shannon had to say. And she had to admit she felt relieved by the news of a man in Holly's life. _"Oh, good … um, I mean … goodness … I didn't know Holly had a boyfriend! Anyone we know?" _The relief was fleeting as Shannon replied, _"Who? Are you serious? I guess that's what happens when you blow off lunch in the teacher's lounge … your gossip tank gets pretty low. Anyway, she and Will have been pretty hot and heavy for a few weeks."_

Again, Shannon knew about Will and Emma had some romantic history, and that Will had carried a torch for her the entire time she'd known him this year, but she had no idea that Emma was anything less than a happy newlywed with a handsome successful dentist for a husband. As she stood there telling her about the benefit, little did she know that Emma's heart was sinking fast. This piece of news about Will and Holly was even more upsetting than the email from Carl.

Holly. Oh god no. Not Holly. Holly who knew her secret was dating the man who was at the center of that secret. Had she been dating him all along? Is that why she asked if Emma was still in love with him? Or had she decided to go out with him after learning about Emma's feelings? Honestly, it didn't matter. The point was that in her confusion about her love life, she'd lost Will. Lost him to a woman who was tall and attractive. A woman who was comfortable in her skin. She exuded sex. The thought of Will and Holly and sex made Emma want to retreat to the condo and roll up in the fetal position for the rest of her life.

Emma, now totally distracted, barely noticed as Shannon left the single ticket on her desk, said she'd see her on Friday night, and left the office.

It was an emotional couple of days after that, but somehow Emma put one foot in front of the other and kept showing up for her obligations. She couldn't stay in bed under the covers. If she gave in to all of the sadness and fear and hopelessness she didn't know what would become of her. So she stuck to her schedule and her commitments at school till the end of the week when, oddly enough, she decided to go to the fundraiser. She didn't want to talk to Will. And she certainly didn't want to see him with Holly. But if she could avoid him at school, certainly she could make a brief appearance at the benefit to show her support … and then make a quick exit before she had to be faced with Will and Holly.

Will and Holly arrived early on Friday evening, walking into the cafeteria to join a few of the glee club members to set up the stage for the show. Puck, Lauren, Mike and Tina were already there and had made a lot of progress with the sound system, already doing sound checks. Eventually Finn showed up, then Sam and Santana.

Holly returned from the Ladies Room wearing the black dress that she'd decided upon for her solo performance tonight. She looked sleek and elegant, her hair pulled back tightly. Will turned from the stage to see her standing talking to Brittany. She was striking, no doubt about it. But there was a distance, a detachment that he'd noticed with Holly. They'd only been going out for a few weeks … and as Will had expected she was lots of fun. Bowling. Movies. Playing pool at the local roadhouse. But something had happened … or not happened … between them. Will had assumed that sex would be great with Holly. She was so free and easy about everything. Instead the physical side of their relationship hadn't quite ignited the way he'd envisioned. She seemed unable to take that step with him, and it didn't make sense. Holly clearly had no hang-ups about sex, and she really seemed to like him. It was odd. Most recently just two nights ago, alone at his apartment, Will had made a move to kiss Holly while they waited for the pizza to be delivered. She dodged his advances. It was weird and uncomfortable, but after a few funny stories about her most recent teaching experiences things slid back into their normal tempo for the rest of the evening. Still, after Holly left that night, Will laid in bed alone feeling numb and confused. The laughter had worn off. And other feelings began to stir. And they weren't connected to Holly.

**(Reviews are greatly appreciated. My intention was to try and get all of NON into one chapter, but it would be too long so I'm splitting it up. Be honest! Want to know what you all think of this direction. Also special thanks to Mike, Paige, Charlotte, Nicole, Rebecca … all of those Wemma Shippers who inspire me and get me through the day!)**

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	2. Chapter 2

**Nights of Neglect Will Soon Be Over – Chapter 2**

**(Many thanks for the reviews of the first chapter. This one probably won't be as long since I actually have a lot of writing to do for my REAL job. Wish I got paid to be an obsessed Wemma fan and fanfic writer … oh well. Hope you enjoy!)**

_(Where we left off in first chapter: __Still, after Holly left that night, Will laid in bed alone feeling numb and confused. The laughter had worn off. And other feelings began to stir. And they weren't connected to Holly.)_

Holly finished chatting with Brittany as Will and the glee kids tested microphones and Brad rolled the piano into place. Talking to Brittany was like an adventure, Holly thought. Like setting out on a trip to some far off destination and then never getting there … but ending up somewhere else that she'd never even considered visiting. That whole idea appealed to Holly.

By contrast, the last few weeks with Will had been nice. Really nice. But she was quickly figuring out that what she'd always suspected was still true. She wasn't the commitment type. Even with someone as charming and sweet and handsome … and eager, like a schoolboy … as Will Schuester. Yes, he was eager. Like he'd never really dated before. But there was part of Holly that felt like she was a project for Will. A fun project, granted … but a project just the same. And when there was a lull in the fun, and the conversation slowed, it was weird. Or at least it felt that way to her.

Anyway, it wasn't serious. Holly didn't get serious and if at any time she suspected that this fling, or romance, or whatever is was supposed to be was heading that way, she'd be gone. It was, as always, just a matter of time.

One evening when they were out to dinner at Breadstix Holly told Will what she believed to be a funny story about breaking some guys heart in college. She'd meant no harm, but she'd been insensitive and jokey and up to her random silliness even back then. After that she went on to relay a few other anecdotes about failed romances that she was grateful had failed. Will, for his part, did not have a long list to discuss. Terri, of course. But that story had been told. After that, Will trailed off and tried to change the subject to dessert. On impulse, Holly asked, _"So Sweet Cheeks, I know you've got more in your past than that certifiably insane ex-wife. Give me the scoop! What really happened with Emma?" _Her casual attitude belied her sincere curiosity, especially given the intimate details Holly knew about Emma's current situation.

Will became suddenly and completely still, diverting his eyes from Holly's. In a low voice he simply said, _"Bad timing. Didn't work out."_

But Holly didn't stop. It seemed as though she was incapable of getting through an entire conversation without being inappropriate. _"Oh come on! Give me some dirt. I want all the juicy details about you dating Emma Pillsbury."_

Will wasn't angry exactly, but quite short in his response. _"Holly, there's no story. No juicy details. It wasn't meant to be. Emma's happily married and that's that. Now, do you want to split the tiramisu or not?"_

Ouch. Holly had definitely struck on a sensitive topic. Oh well. She wanted her own tiramisu. She didn't want to share.

Coming back to the current moment, Holly made her way around the decorated cafeteria talking to the glee kids. Parents and faculty were starting to filter in browsing through the tables of bake sale goodies, getting punch and coffee. It was good to see that people were showing up. The glee club would need lots of help to make sure they got that bus for Nationals on the road to NYC. Will made his way to Holly's side. They struck up a conversation with Blaine, Kurt and the Hummels who had come together to support Finn and New Directions. Small talk about The Warblers and how Kurt was doing at Dalton subsided when suddenly Kurt looked past the group and called out, "Miss Pillsbury! How are you?" Kurt stepped away, taking Blaine with him to greet Emma who had just walked through the door.

Emma was startled at the sound of Kurt calling out to her with such enthusiasm. She seldom had that effect on people, but she hadn't seen him in months since he'd transferred to Dalton so as uncomfortable as she was to be there, she smiled and stood chatting with the young men for several minutes. Her smile became warmer and less self-conscious as Kurt introduced her to Blaine. She shook his hand without reservation. And taking it all in from across the room was Will.

Meanwhile Holly continued to rattle on about anything and everything as Burt and Carol stood smiling politely and nodding. Will had faded away somehow. Not physically, he was still standing next to Holly, but she saw that he was no longer participating in the conversation. As she kept talking she managed to watch Will from the corner of her eye. Where on earth was he? He eyes were transfixed into the distance. His lips parted slightly, a look of sadness in his eyes. Holly thought he looked soft and sweet and a little bit lost. As the Hummels walked away to get coffee, Will didn't even notice. It was then that Holly followed the trajectory of his gaze to find that it was directed towards Emma. Emma who, Holly could see, looked sweet and soft too … and utterly beautiful somehow. She was wearing a polka-dot dress, navy and white. Certainly not Holly's style, but she looked pretty and more at ease with herself than the last time Holly had seen her.

The look in Will's eyes as he watched Emma through the dimly lit room was more than mere distraction. It was filled with something that Holly had never seen when Will looked at her. And frankly, it was a look she didn't want from him. It was far too real and deep. It was love.

In that moment it came together for Holly. Three pieces of a puzzle finally came together. Holly thought deeply about it for a moment. It all made sense.

_The first piece – Emma's "confusion" about her feelings for Will seemed to be quickly leading to the end of her ill-fated marriage._

_The second piece – Holly's feelings about a serious relationship with Will had gone from ambivalence to disinterest. He was meant to be in the friend zone and nothing more._

_And now, finally, the third piece made the entire scene crystal clear. Will loves Emma. Of course. He loves her still and he doesn't know that Emma loves him. He doesn't know that her marriage is crumbling, or could already be over by now, who knows?_

Holly reached out of touch Will's arm. As if snapping out of a hypnotic state, he responded, _"Yep … Holly … uh, sorry, what's up?"_

"_Hey, I've got another 15 minutes till I go onstage. Come with me … I'd like to talk to you …"_

Will began to walk away with Holly, but not before glancing back at the lovely woman who looked so gorgeous and so fragile talking now to Shannon. She hadn't noticed him looking at her. She seemed intent at staying in the shadow of a far corner of the room. Will noticed that the dashing dentist was absent this evening. Or maybe he was meeting his wife here after a root canal that kept him late at work. Whatever the case, as Will turned back to follow Holly he was aware of one thing. Seeing Emma without Carl was so much nicer than seeing her with him.

**(Hope you like this … please read and review! Need to hear all feedback! One more chapter will wrap this up. Probably will post it on Monday afternoon or evening.)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Nights of Neglect Will Soon Be Over – Chapter 3**

**(Thanks again to all those who've read and reviewed so far. You guys are awesome! Here's the wrap-up of this story … after we see the REAL 'Nights of Neglect' this week, I'll go on to do a fanfic spec about Episode 18.)**

_(Where Chapter 2 left off: Will began to walk away with Holly, but not before glancing back at the lovely woman who looked so gorgeous and so fragile talking now to Shannon. She hadn't noticed him looking at her. She seemed intent at staying in the shadow of a far corner of the room. Will noticed that the dashing dentist was absent this evening. Or maybe he was meeting his wife here after a root canal that kept him late at work. Whatever the case, as Will turned back to follow Holly he was aware of one thing. Seeing Emma without Carl was so much nicer than seeing her with him.)_

Holly and Will walked together down the hallway in silence for a few moments. She reached out gently to guide him by the elbow into the choir room. Closing the door behind them, Holly turned on one overhead light. This conversation didn't need to be had in full fluorescent lighting … or in romantic mood lighting either.

Holly looked at Will, the hint of a smile crossing her lips. He returned the smile, but in his eyes she could tell he was perplexed.

Will spoke first, _"So, you wanted to talk?"_

"_Yes, I think we need to."_

Will looked intently at her now, "_Is something wrong? You sound serious."_

"_That's because, my friend, we need to have a serious chat. And something tells me this is the time to have it."_

"_OK … are you alright?"_

"_I'm fine, Will. Really fine. But I have to say something to you that's not easy, so if you could just listen to me for a minute and let me get through this."_

"_Sure, that's okay … I'm all ears."_

Holly sat down on the piano bench and patted the seat next to her, motioning for Will to sit next to her. He sat as she began speaking quietly. Her tone was uncharacteristically gentle … _"Will, I can't keep seeing you. I don't want to date you anymore, and I need you to try to understand why."_

Will tried to interrupt, but Holly kept talking … "_I'm not gonna say 'I told you so' … but I did tell you so. I don't do the relationship thing. And even though the beginnings are fun, the rest honestly doesn't appeal to me. If I were the kind of girl who wanted to fall in love and settle down, you'd be as close to perfect as they come. But I'm not that girl … and I make no apologies for not being that girl. It wouldn't be fair for me to let this continue. It might be easy for a little longer. You're cute and sexy … and kind of hot in a nerdy sort of way. But I know I'm not into it for the long haul … and you need to know that too."_

She finally paused so that Will could get a word in edgewise. _"Holly, if I've been coming on too strong … I'm really sorry. I can definitely tone it down … back off … whatever you need …"_

Cutting him off, Holly continued. _"Will, Will … please listen. You don't need to do anything. You don't need to change. And certainly not for me, because what's between us is never going to be more than friendship. That's all I can offer you. But there's more to it than that, and I hope you'll listen to me and consider what I'm saying. You know that stupid thing people say when they break up with someone they've been seeing? The old saying, 'It's not you … it's me …' Well honestly it __is__ me … but it's you too."_

Will looked at her confused. _"What do you mean 'it's me too'?"_

"_I mean that you're in no position to be jumping into a relationship with a new woman anyway … you're not available."_

"_Holly … I've been divorced for over a year now … believe me, I've been alone long enough … "_

"_I'm not talking about getting over your divorce, buddy boy … I'm talking about Emma."_

Will was stunned at Holly mentioning Emma's name. _"Emma? Holly, you brought Emma up at Breadstix and now you're bringing her up again. Listen, our attempt at a relationship never got off the ground and that was a long time ago."_

"_And how do you feel about her now?"_

Will raised his voice now, getting irritated with Holly's insistence in dredging up memories that were painful for him. _"I don't think about Emma in any romantic way anymore …"_

"_Well, first of all, I don't believe that. And secondly, I didn't ask you what you __think__, I asked you how you __feel__."_

"_I feel like talking about her is pointless since she's married. Or had you forgotten?"_

"_For someone who's over a woman you certainly are getting flustered just talking about her. Will, I'm kind of betraying a confidence here … but I do care about you and I want you to be happy … and I think there may be some things going on that you don't know about. When is the last time you talked to Emma?"_

"_We talk. Sometimes. Not often. Every few days. Actually we haven't talked in weeks, except small talk in a group of people."_

"_OK, interesting. Well, without going into detail, I happen to know that Emma and Carl's marriage is going to shit."_

Will's eyes flew wide open and his jaw dropped in shock, _"What? What are you talking about?"_

"_I did a little counseling session with Dr. Howell and his lovely wife after the whole 'Afternoon Delight' nightmare. Carl approached me and asked if I could help them with some … uh … how do I say this? Personal issues …"_

"_What? Why you?"_

Holly snickered,_ "I know … tell me about it. A week of substituting for a Sex Ed Health class and next thing ya know I'm hanging out my shingle!"_

"_Go on Holly."_ Will was dead serious and no longer concerned with understanding why Holly didn't want to see him anymore.

"_All I can say is that in that brief meeting it became clear that they aren't … well … __close__ … if you know what I mean."_

Will was curious. Very curious. He wanted every detail, but that would be wrong. Whatever Holly had learned about Emma and Carl was none of his business. He stood up from the piano bench and looked down at Holly as he spoke again, by now somewhat exasperated.

"_Holly, please … please stop. It's okay, really. I understand that you want to end things with us. And that's fine. You're great. You're funny, you're fun to be around … but I get it. You're not interested in a relationship. But as far as Emma … or Emma and Carl … or whatever is concerned … I don't want to hear the intimate details of their marriage. I'm sure whatever Carl needed your help with has been resolved by now and we shouldn't be talking about it … And it's almost time for you to go on to sing, so let's just end this conversation."_

"_Will, listen to me. Emma and Carl separated that day. He walked out and went home to pack a bag and move into the Radisson. And I'm pretty sure he hasn't gone back to her since … not after she admitted that she still has feelings for you."_

Will stood in the middle of the room, stunned, staring at Holly. _"She what? Holly, this is important, you'd better not be joking. What do you mean?"_

"_I thought that might get your attention. Well, you know me. I don't know what really got into me … that happens to me a lot … anyway I just came out and asked her if she was still in love with you. She got all quiet. Carl even said that he'd had the same question but was afraid to ask. And I have to give her credit. She didn't scream or freak out or cry or even lie and deny it for god's sakes … she just said that she's very confused about her feelings. Next thing I knew, Carl got up and left and Emma stayed put. She didn't run after him or beg him to stay. She just asked me not to tell you. And here I am … telling you. But there's a reason. I have to admit that when I first heard that Emma still has the hots for you, I felt kind of excited and challenged. And because I'm incredibly immature when it comes to men, as you may have noticed, I walked myself right down to the auditorium where I did __not__ tell you about Emma … instead I did just the opposite and told you I was ready for a little romance with you." _

Holly paused, she felt slightly disgusted with herself. _"Oh god Will, I'm such a jerk. I really don't know why I do some of the things I do. All I know is that the more time I spend with you the more I really like you … as a great, great friend. And I want my friend to be happy. That's all."_

Brad cracked the door open and poked his head into the room just long enough to tell Holly she'd be on in three minutes.

"_Hey … I really believe that Emma loves you. And I'm not stupid … I saw how you looked at her tonight across the room. It's worth a shot, Will. You deserve to be happy … really happy … with the woman you love."_

She walked towards the door when Will called out, _"Holly … I have no idea what's going to happen next … but thank you … for everything."_

After a moment, Will walked back into the darkened cafeteria to find Holly center stage spot lit singing Adele's "Turning Tables". He was taken in by the lyrics and the emotion with which Holly sang the song, but he was distracted by what she had just told him about Emma. As his eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, he looked across the room to see Shannon standing alone. Where was Emma? He was suddenly taken with the need to find her, and although he had no idea what he would say, he had to be close to her.

As the song ended Will made his way to the back of the room where Shannon stood. He whispered so not to disturb the glee performers who were taking the stage.

"_Pssst … Shannon … where's Emma?"_

Shannon whispered back, _"She said she had to finish up something in her office."_

Will couldn't just leave in the middle of a New Directions performance, although if he was honest, there was nothing he wanted to do more than see Emma. But he knew that after this song there was an intermission. Hopefully she wouldn't leave McKinley before that.

As the kids bounded off the stage Will tried to be as attentive as possible even though his mind was elsewhere. They'd really sounded awesome, as usual. They were going to take New York by storm at Nationals, he just knew it. He clapped and smiled and slapped the guys on their backs. After the girls filed by he saw Holly once more.

"_Holly, you were amazing … as always …"_

"_Thank you, sir! Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna' change and come back to catch the second half."_

With the congratulatory messages out of the way, Will wanted nothing more than to run down the hall to Emma. It reminded him of a day a million years ago … or so it seemed. A day when a series of events began that had been so amazing and so confusing and so ill-timed. But this was different. So he slowed his pace, and his mind, and walked towards Emma's office. He had no idea what to say when he got there, but he had to be gentle in his approach.

He saw her through the glass as he turned the corner by her office. She was oblivious to him standing there in the doorway as she poured over transcripts and swiveled her desk chair to put a file away. Her back was to the door.

Will cleared his throat softly to see if it would get her attention. It did. She looked up, startled.

"_Will …! I didn't see you …"_

"_Hi Em. Mind if I come in?"_

"_No … uh. No, of course not ..."_ She was nervous and unsure of how to behave around Will. She hadn't expected to see him. He sat down across from her and started to speak.

"_I … er … I was just wondering how you are. We haven't talked for awhile."_

"_I'm fine. Just fine. And you?"_

"_Fine."_ Will bit his lip, glanced at the desk, then looked back up at Emma's face. Emma's sweet, beautiful, slightly sad face.

"_So … is the show over? Where's Holly?"_

"_No, just intermission. Holly's changing clothes in the ladies' room."_

"_Oh. Well. I'm sure you don't want to keep her waiting."_

Ignoring the statement about Holly, Will shifted gears. _"Why did you leave the cafeteria? I thought you'd want to see the kids perform."_

"_I did … I do … I just, well … I've got a lot to do."_

"_Where's Carl tonight?"_

"_Carl? Oh … oh .."_

"_Yes, Carl. Your husband."_

"_He's not here."_

"_I noticed. That's why I asked."_

"_Oh, well, I mean, he's out of town."_

_This is getting weird_, Will thought.

_This is really uncomfortable_, Emma thought.

They kept talking anyway.

"_Oh. Out of town?"_

"_Yes, on business."_

"_Dentists go out of town on business trips?"_

"_Yes, sometimes."_

"_That's funny. I didn't know that. I guess I never really thought about it."_

"_He's in Connecticut."_

"_Nice. Connecticut I mean. I've never been there, but I've heard it's pretty." _Pretty. Connecticut's pretty. How lame can you get, Schuester … Will had no idea where to take this conversation. He kept going anyway.

"_Is it a convention?"_

Emma wondered why Will was asking some many questions about Carl. She felt like she had just jumped into the deep end of a pool and didn't know how to swim. Then something came over her. She wasn't going to drown. She was going to get to the surface and breathe. Inhaling deeply, she continued.

"_No, no convention. He's interviewing to join a new practice."_

Suddenly Will was overcome with fear that Emma and Carl had patched things up and were moving away from Lima to work on their marriage. Holly had been wrong. In the weeks since her session with them, Emma and Carl had gotten back together. They were probably happier than ever together. How could he be so stupid?

Emma sensed that Will's mind was spinning … he looked almost frightened.

"_Will, is something wrong?"_

"_Yes. You're moving to Connecticut?"_

"_Why would you think that?"_

"_You just told me that Carl's interviewing with a practice in Connecticut."_ By now Will was leaning his elbows on Emma's desk. His hands folded in front of him.

"_Will … listen ..."_ On impulse she reached out and put her hand on his _… "some things have happened …"_

The warmth of her hand on his felt like magic. He looked at her soft skin, her beautifully manicured nails, her slender fingers. Her hand. Her fingers. Her left hand. Her ring finger. No ring on her ring finger.

Emma hadn't touched him with her left hand on purpose, but as his eyes widened transfixed on her touching him, she could read his mind. Neither spoke for a moment, then Emma continued. Again she inhaled, then it all began to come out.

"_Some things have changed. There's a chance that Carl is going to move to Connecticut. I won't be going with him. We've separated."_

"_Em …" _Will didn't intend to let on that Holly had spoken with him ..._ "I'm sorry … I'm so sorry …"_

"_It's alright. I'm alright. Don't worry. Now, I'm sure Holly will be wondering where you've gone."_

"_No, she won't be. And there's no other place I need to be right now."_

"_I don't understand."_

"_Emma, what is going on? Really …"_ His tone was sweet and concerned, but Emma had begun to put a few things together, then it dawned on her.

"_When did she tell you?"_

"_Excuse me?"_

"_Holly. When did she tell you about Carl and me?"_

Will sat quietly, but he wasn't going to lie. Lies and secrets and misunderstandings had caused them nothing but trouble.

"_Just now. Tonight."_

Emma looked down, tearing up slightly, but not about to break down. No way. Not now.

"_I'd asked her not to tell you."_

"_I know."_

"_But she did anyway."_

"_Yes."_

"_Why?"_

"_She meant no harm, Em. And she didn't go into detail."_

"_Well, maybe I should."_

"_Should what?"_

"_Go into detail."_

"_You don't have to, Em. It's okay …"_

"_Carl and I are over because I couldn't make myself be in love with him. I thought I could. I really tried, but I guess if you have to try so hard it's kind of obvious that something's not right. I mean it's one thing to work at a relationship, but working at being __in love__ is something else. And unfortunately I jumped into a marriage without understanding that."_ As she talked, Emma became upset. Again the tears were coming, but she didn't want to stop … and Will sat patiently listening.

"_So, it's over. I feel terrible about what I've done to Carl and I feel like an idiot and I feel like tomorrow can't come soon enough because I'm going back into therapy with Dr. Shane. You remember him, right? I was seeing him a year ago, right after we … we … whatever. Anyway, I saw him for awhile, then I met Carl and decided that being with him was going to solve all of my issues. Red grapes. Green graphes. Movie theaters. Eating out in restaurants. Leaving crust on bread. I mean really … isn't it obvious …?" _Her tone was ironic and somewhat self-punishing …_ "If you can handle all of that spontaneity, why not run off to Vegas and get married?"_

"_Emma, you never meant to hurt Carl …"_

"_You're right, I didn't mean to, but I did and there's nothing I can do to change that. I can't fix the past, but I can try to have a better future. Like taking responsibility for myself and my decisions and being an adult for god's sake. That's why I'm going back to Dr. Shane."_

"_I just want you to be happy."_

"_That's what you said to me the day I told you I'd married Carl."_ Emma almost chuckled as she continued, _"Although I must say you sound much more sincere tonight than you did then."_

Will just smiled and looked at her, adoring her, loving her big eyes, wishing it was okay to kiss her now.

"_Will … I need to tell you something else. My marriage … well, it's being annulled."_ Shy Emma looked down again. _"Do you know what that means?"_

It all made sense to him now. The Sex Ed "therapy session" with Holly. The "personal issues" she'd referred to. Emma had been married to Carl for months and was still a virgin. He knew how hard it must be for her to tell him this.

"_Em, you don't have to explain …"_

"_I'm still a virgin."_

"_Uh … oh … okay …"_

"_I couldn't do it. I just couldn't. Not even close."_

"_Emma, don't beat yourself up. If you weren't ready, you weren't ready. It's as simple as that."_

"_Simple. Hmm. I don't know if I'd call it simple."_ A warm smile grew across Emma's lips.

Will smiled too. His voice was kind as he spoke, _"I don't mean to minimize it, Em … really. I know you struggle. I know the OCD affects many areas of your life …"_

Emma cut him off. _"Will, I didn't avoid sex with Carl because of my OCD. And I know that I probably shouldn't say this, especially now that you're moving on with Holly …"_

Will's attempts to cut in and tell Emma about Holly were to no avail as Emma kept talking.

"… _but the truth is I'm still a virgin because of you. My feelings … my feelings for you. I thought I could just turn them off, like a switch, but …"_

At that moment an enthusiastic crowd of glee kids came running down the hall laughing and pushing each other and singing off-key. They were so excited about the evening and the money they'd earned for the trip to Nationals, Brittany and Lauren ran into Emma's office squealing incoherently. Something about going to Breadstix for a celebratory snack.

Emma looked at Will and simply said … _"Go … go have a good time. I'll see you tomorrow. Have fun with Holly and the kids."_

Will stood up and started to turn towards the door to follow the crowd. Then he stopped and turned back, _"Em, it's just the kids. Just the kids. No more Holly … wasn't meant to be."_

Emma's eyes widened and sparkled for the first time in a long time as she watched Will join Finn, Puck and Mike behind the rest of the crowd.

**(So, that's it for this one. After tomorrow I'll probably do a version of BTW before it airs next week. Please read and review. Your responses mean so much to me and help me a lot!)**


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